Over the past few years, we’ve seen movies based on toys and games, most notably the Transformers series and Battleship. There are movies in the works based on the classic board games Monopoly and Candyland as well. Just in time for Halloween, the newest game-to-movie production debuts as Ouija comes to the big screen.

Depending on your personal beliefs, the Ouija board is either just a game or a tool of the Devil used to open a portal to a demonic world. The movie capitalizes on these beliefs that playing with a Ouija board will only lead to bad things.

In Ouija, we meet two best friends as children playing with a Ouija board. As teenagers, one of the girls, Debbie, disobeys the cardinal rule of not playing with the board alone. Next thing you know, Debbie hangs herself but no one can believe that she actually killed herself. Her friend Laine (Bates Motel‘s Olivia Cooke) thinks the only way to get closure is to gather Debbie’s closest friends and contact her with the Ouija board. Contact is made, but is it Debbie or something pretending to be Debbie?

After a few years of what became known as the “torture porn” genre of horror movies, filmmakers like James Wan (who contributed to that genre with the Saw series) have taken a new-ish approach to horror, giving us more old school haunted house movies with films like Insidious, The Conjuring and Annabelle which rely more on physical effects and frightening images to make you jump.

Ouija, thankfully, follows that template with actors portraying the spirits and a minimum of CGI effects, used sparingly and only when something can not be accomplished on set. And while the movie may not be the most original thing out there, borrowing from everything from the Final Destination films to Insidious (right down to casting Lin Shaye in a pivotal role), it does deliver a few good jumps without over-doing it with the stupidly loud music cues.

What Ouija lacks in originality, it makes up with a solid cast and some high quality production value. The movie has an obviously lower budget than previous Hasbro movies, but it looks awesome and the spirits are effectively creepy. The story is told pretty economically with little padding and even manages to throw a twist at us when we think everything has been resolved.

Ouija may be more fun than frightening, but for a quick Halloween date night scare it does the job.

ALL PASSES HAVE BEEN CLAIMED. WINNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED BY EMAIL. COMMENTS ARE CLOSED.

CliqueClack has partnered with Universal Pictures to offer readers in Baltimore and DC an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new thriller Ouija starring Olivia Cooke, Daren Kagasoff, Douglas Smith, Bianca Santos and Ana Coto.

In Ouija, a group of friends must confront their most terrifying fears when they awaken the dark powers of an ancient spirit board. Stiles White directs the supernatural thriller that is produced by Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller (The Purge, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th) alongside Blumhouse Productions’ Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity and Insidious series, The Purge), Bennett Schneir (Battleship) and Hasbro. Juliet Snowden and Stiles White wrote the script for Ouija, and Universal will distribute the film worldwide.

The screenings will take place on Wednesday, October 22, 7:30 PM at AMC Georgetown (DC) and AMC White Marsh (Baltimore). A limited number of passes are available on a first come, first served basis for each location. To RSVP for your passes, please read and follow the instructions below:

• Comment with ONLY one of the two locations: GEORGETOWN or WHITE MARSH. Any elaboration in your comment could cause it to be rejected.
• Include your FULL NAME and email address in the appropriate spaces, NOT in the comment box. Comments without the full name will be invalid. Double check your email address before submitting.
• ONE comment per person or couple please! ONE comment per email address. Multiple comments, or comments that appear to be coming from the same person/couple, will be disqualified. Please keep these offers fair for everyone.
• Check your calendar before requesting passes. Please do not request passes if you are not going to use them or if you are getting them from another source. If the studios see that passes we are given to award to our readers are not being used, they will not want to offer us passes for future screenings. Please be considerate!

Winners will receive one Admit Two pass by email. Please note that passes do not guarantee seats at the screening. Seating is first come, first served so plan to arrive early. CliqueClack has no control over the total number of passes distributed, and is not responsible for seating arrangements at the theater.

Ouija is rated PG-13 for disturbing violent content, frightening horror images, and thematic material, and opens in theaters October 24th.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBLmBdn2QF8

CliqueClack has partnered with Universal Pictures to offer readers in Chicago and Indianapolis an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new thriller Ouija starring Olivia Cooke, Daren Kagasoff, Douglas Smith, Bianca Santos and Ana Coto.

In Ouija, a group of friends must confront their most terrifying fears when they awaken the dark powers of an ancient spirit board. Stiles White directs the supernatural thriller that is produced by Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller (The Purge, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th) alongside Blumhouse Productions’ Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity and Insidious series, The Purge), Bennett Schneir (Battleship) and Hasbro. Juliet Snowden and Stiles White wrote the script for Ouija, and Universal will distribute the film worldwide.

The screenings will take place on Wednesday, October 22, 7:00 PM at Showplace Icon and AMC Indianapolis 17. Passes will be awarded through a random drawing. To enter for your chance to win, visit the OUIJA ENTRY FORM and submit your information. Representatives for Universal Pictures will select the winners.

Please note that passes do not guarantee seats at the screening. Seating is first come, first served so plan to arrive early. CliqueClack has no control over the total number of passes distributed, and is not responsible for seating arrangements at the theater. CliqueClack is not the administrator of this contest; no comments will be accepted.

Ouija is rated PG-13 for disturbing violent content, frightening horror images, and thematic material, and opens in theaters October 24th.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBLmBdn2QF8

THIS OFFER HAS EXPIRED. COMMENTS ARE CLOSED.

CliqueClack has partnered with Universal Pictures to offer readers in Boston and Plainville an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new thriller Ouija starring Olivia Cooke, Daren Kagasoff, Douglas Smith, Bianca Santos and Ana Coto.

In Ouija, a group of friends must confront their most terrifying fears when they awaken the dark powers of an ancient spirit board. Stiles White directs the supernatural thriller that is produced by Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller (The Purge, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th) alongside Blumhouse Productions’ Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity and Insidious series, The Purge), Bennett Schneir (Battleship) and Hasbro. Juliet Snowden and Stiles White wrote the script for Ouija, and Universal will distribute the film worldwide.

The screenings will take place on Wednesday, October 22, 7:00 PM at AMC Boston Common and AMC Plainville. A limited number of passes are available on a first come, first served basis for each location. To RSVP for your passes, please read and follow the instructions below:

• Comment with ONLY one of the two locations: BOSTON or PLAINVILLE. Any elaboration in your comment could cause it to be rejected.
• Include your FULL NAME and email address in the appropriate spaces, NOT in the comment box. Comments without the full name will be invalid. Double check your email address before submitting.
• ONE comment per person or couple please! ONE comment per email address. Multiple comments, or comments that appear to be coming from the same person/couple, will be disqualified. Please keep these offers fair for everyone.
• Check your calendar before requesting passes. Please do not request passes if you are not going to use them or if you are getting them from another source. If the studios see that passes we are given to award to our readers are not being used, they will not want to offer us passes for future screenings. Please be considerate!

Winners will receive one Admit Two pass by email. Please note that passes do not guarantee seats at the screening. Seating is first come, first served so plan to arrive early. CliqueClack has no control over the total number of passes distributed, and is not responsible for seating arrangements at the theater.

Ouija is rated PG-13 for disturbing violent content, frightening horror images, and thematic material, and opens in theaters October 24th.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBLmBdn2QF8